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The Focus Factor

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Several years ago, my youngest son won his first two matches to advance to the semi-finals of the Wisconsin State wrestling tournament the next day. Prior to his heading to the tournament we talked about what he wanted to accomplish at the tournament. This was a continuation of a discussion that began at the start of the season when he thought about… and… actually put his goals for the season in writing. Certainly not anything I ever did as a kid!

Our discussion got me thinking about how we often fail to have discussions about development goals with our kids… or our employees. The discussions tend to be more spur of the moment… not that it’s a bad thing to have discussions when the moment arises… but certainly no substitute for structured discussions that force the parties to think about where they want to go in their career.

[wcm_restrict]When having those discussions they need to take into consideration career goals but… almost as importantly… how the career goals fit in with their life goals. This is particularly important when dealing with employees early in their career. Those discussions can have a significant impact on someone’s long-term success and your ability to get the best out of your people. Another side benefit to you as a leader (or a parent), is the satisfaction of seeing the impact you can have on that person’s life. In the end… you will find that is one of the most satisfying things you will ever do as a leader. Seeing them succeed is truly worth the time and effort spent!

Unfortunately, he lost an incredibly close 6-4 match in the semi-finals the next day. After the loss, we talked about his goals for the tournament… as well as the season. Discussing his goals enabled him to refocus… and… ultimately win his final match to place at the tournament. (In sudden death overtime no less!) I am convinced that without those goals to keep him focused… he would not have experienced the satisfaction that we both felt as he stood on the podium and received his medal for placing at the State wrestling tournament.[/wcm_restrict][wcm_nonmember]

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About the Author

Jeff Kortes is known as the ‘No Nonsense Guy.’ He is the President of Human Asset Management LLC, a human resource consulting firm specializing in executive search and leadership training. He has trained hundreds of first-line supervisors, managers, and executives during his career. His approach to training is no-nonsense, and practical.

Jeff is also a member of the National Speakers Association and a regular speaker on the topics of retention, recruiting and leadership. For more information, visit www.SlugProofYourTeam.com.

The Great Eraser

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I am a big proponent of continuous improvement and the need to always improve. Unfortunately, it has brought with it a real negative. It took me 8 years of watching my two sons wrestle until I realized I had fell victim to that negative consequence.

My youngest son won a tournament by beating the prior state champion in the finals. It was an incredible match and he wrestled impressively. As he came off the mat, I shook his hand and congratulated him… telling him that this was the best I’d ever seen him wrestle. Then, in the next breathe, I nearly said… ”BUT you look like you we running out of gas and need to do some extra running so that your stamina improves.” The kid has just wrestled the best match of his life and here the old man is thinking what he could have done better. That’s a sad commentary on what has happened to us.

[wcm_restrict]Fortunately… the light bulb went on and I actually remembered the stuff I teach participants in my Execution Focused Leadership® series. I bit my tongue and let him enjoy the moment. I talk to supervisors and managers that using the ‘BUT’ word is the ‘great eraser’… by using it; you wipe out all the positive things you have just said. Instead of using the moment to praise someone and POSITIVELY REINFORCE the behavior we want, we destroy it with one simple word..

Fifteen minutes later my son asked to see the video of his match so he could see what he needed to work on. That was the right time for me to say what he needed to work on in order to continuously improve. There will always be an opportunity to look at continuous improvement in our personal and work lives. That time is not immediately after a success. Let your people enjoy an accomplishment and feel good about what they just did. Don’t take what is a positive accomplishment and wipe it out by using the great eraser… ‘BUT.'[/wcm_restrict][wcm_nonmember]

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About the Author

Jeff Kortes is known as the ‘No Nonsense Guy.’ He is the President of Human Asset Management LLC, a human resource consulting firm specializing in executive search and leadership training. He has trained hundreds of first-line supervisors, managers, and executives during his career. His approach to training is no-nonsense, and practical.

Jeff is also a member of the National Speakers Association and a regular speaker on the topics of retention, recruiting and leadership. For more information, visit www.SlugProofYourTeam.com.

People Quit Their Boss… Not the Company!

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When I give my ‘No Nonsense Retention’ speech to groups across the country, I get frustrated feedback from audience members about poor leadership hurting retention in their organization. Regardless of the level of leadership you hold in the organization, you will drive yourself crazy if you try to solve all of the location or facilities problems; much less the rest of the organization. Concentrate on your sphere of influence regardless of size and create your own little island within the organization by controlling what you can control… which is A LOT. What can you control? You can control the following items for sure:
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  • Your attitude… develop an upbeat attitude.
  • How well you communicate.
  • How you treat people… it should be with respect… always!
  • Lead by being a positive example.
  • Care for your people.
  • Be genuine.

How you treat your people has more to do with turnover than anything else. You have seen it yourself in organizations you have worked in. Certain managers tend to churn thru people… even the ones the managers hire themselves. And, no one is happy in their departments. They are running the corporate version of a jail. People are doing time because they have to and will get out as soon as they can. Others tend to be people magnets who everyone wants to work for. They have people who will go the extra mile for you and you can feel the positive energy when in those areas. 75% of the people in this country say the worst part about their job is their boss!

Keep the tips listed above in mind and I guarantee that you will have one of the more happy and productive departments in your organization. Just as important you will have a department that people will not want to quit being a part of. Remember, people quit their boss… not the company![/wcm_restrict][wcm_nonmember]

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About the Author

Jeff Kortes is known as the ‘No Nonsense Guy.’ He is the President of Human Asset Management LLC, a human resource consulting firm specializing in executive search and leadership training. He has trained hundreds of first-line supervisors, managers, and executives during his career. His approach to training is no-nonsense, and practical.

Jeff is also a member of the National Speakers Association and a regular speaker on the topics of retention, recruiting and leadership. To read Jeff’s complete biography, click here.